Parsnip, Apple Soup with Bacon Fried Apples

Happy Friday, and amen that this week is closing out- it could not have come quickly enough!

I’m headed to BlogherFood Conference for the 5th or 6th year in a row (eek! I can’t remember??) and SO happily, it’s in Austin, Texas!

Which means my dear girlfriends plus all the tacos and guacamole and tequila plus hot sunny weather – which all makes me SO Happy, Happy, Happy.

I will make sure I insta-story every unbelievable thing I eat- so I guess I will just be doing almost nothing but that the whole time.

I feel kind of badly to leave my family behind, especially since it is really, really Fall in Seattle right now. Blustery and cold and most definitely soup weather! So I made them a big pot of this gorgeous Parsnip, Apple Soup with Bacon Fried Apples to tide them over.

By the way, parsnips are one of many under-appreciated root vegetables. Parsnips always seem to me like a cross between a carrot and a potato, and that is hard to be mad at- right? I often think there is a touch of sweetness to them too (much like a carrot) so I wanted to play on that in this soup. I add sweet and tart apples here to bring a touch of both flavors to the soup. And then the crispy bacon and sweet apple topping is another added dimension as well as my favorite part. I try to get some of that topping in every bite- Enjoy!

Parsnip, Apple Soup with Bacon Fried Apples

Author: Heather Christo

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 60 mins

Total time: 1 hour 15 mins

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
4 cups parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 whole granny smith apple, peeled and diced
4 cups chicken broth
3 slices bacon
kosher salt
Olive oil for garnish(optional)

Instructions

In a large pot over medium heat, add the olive oil and the onion. Sprinkle the onions with salt and sweat the onion for 5 to 7 minutes until soft and tender, but not browned.
Add the Parsnips and ⅔rds of the diced apple. Set the remaining ⅓ aside. Sweta the parsnips and apples with the onion, another 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and a lid to the pot and then turn the heat to low. Simmer the soup for 40 minutes until the parsnip is soft and tender.
Puree the soup with an immersion blender, or in batches in the jar of a blender until creamy and smooth. Transfer the soup back to the pot and season to taste with kosher salt. Put the lid back on the soup and simmer over low heat while you make the topping.
In a medium sized pan over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy, turning often about 5 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel to drain, but keep the pan over the heat.
Add the apple to the pan and gently sauté the apple until softened, about 2 minutes. Crumble the bacon and add it to the apples in the pan and then remove the pan from the stovetop. Serve the soup hot in bowls and then top them with a spoonful of the apple-bacon mixture. Add a drizzle of olive oil if desired and serve immediately.

Print Recipe